Art of plastic materials



Patented: 22, 1931. i

PATENT oar-lea OF NEW YORK, N.

Y., ASSIG-NOB '1'O.EALIZITE CORPORATION,

OI NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION 01' NEW YORK AB'I. OF PLASTIC IL'I'EBIALB 1T0 Drawing.

The present invention relates to plastic nialumber, compressed masses, laminated arti-' cles a'nd agglutenated fibrous products which involve the employment ofpressure and/or eat. 7 i

It is an object of my invention to provide a novel composition of matter of a plastic nature which is hard, tough and strong.

A further. object of my invention is the provision of a plastic material which constitutes a'very eflicient cementitious binder particularly useful for cementing fibrous substances together. 7

It is also within the contemplation of my invention to provide a plastic material having waterproof qualities. 7

Other objects and advanta es will become ap arent from the following escription.

enerally speaking, my invention involves the production of a plastic composition of matter by reacting a sugar-containing material with a solution of formaldehyde under the influence of heat and by permittln the reaction product to set and harden by itself in the'air or the like or by the application of heat or heat and pressure. The set and hardened plastic mass is capable of receivin a good polish and is capable of bein utilize as a binder fora variety of 'materiafs.

The invention will be better understood from the following t pical examples which are merely'given for the purpose of illustrating my invention. a

Ewa'mple N o. 1

I mix about 500 grams of sugar, preferably brown cane sugar, in about 1000 cubic centimeters of formaldeh de solution ve thoroughly. The mixing 1s continued until the sugar is preferably completel dissolved in the formaldehydesolution. eat is then applied to the solution until a temperature of approximately 40 C. is reached and this temperature is maintained for a eriod of about ten minutes. The heated so ution or reaction roduct is now ready for use as a binder. If th1s solution is left in the open air, it will Application fled July 19,

1029. Serial 110.8795.

set and harden by itself within a period of say 24 to 48 hours. By the application of heat the aforesaid solution will set and harden in a short period, for instance, 6 to 10 minutes, to a hard, tough and strong plastic material which is not'sticky to touch and which resembles a resin in appearance. When it is desired to use the reaction productas a binder for com ressed fibrous materials, the product may mixed thoroughl with fibrous material, for instance, in accord ance with my fuming process of making com pressed products set forth in my application Serial No. 346,811, filed March 13, 1929. The treated fibrous material is subjected preferabl in-a mold to a heat of say about 200 C. an pressureof several hundred pounds per square inch. By maintainin the said pres sure and heat on the molded brous mass for about 4 to 6 minutes, a hard, stron board is produced. This board can be ma e of any size but if the above-mentioned amount of binder is used a board 18" x 18" x of compressed and cemented fibrous material can be ma e.

Ewample N o. 2

until a temperature of approximately 40 C.

is attained. The solution is maintained at this temperature for about 10 minutes. After the expiration of this period, about 10 grams of sodium sulfite (Na SO is added to the heated solution in small amounts while the temperature of the solution is increased to a about C. The temperatureis preferably maintained at 60 C. for about 10 minutes. a When this time has expired the, mass of ma- 1 Under the influence of heat, say at atempera-' 10 the open air but I prefer to subject the mass to heat and pressure as in my pending application referred to hereinabove. By applying a pressure of about several hundred pounds per square inch and a temperature of about 180 to 200 C. to the fibrous material containin the plastic substance, a dense hard board is o tained. This board is harder than the board obtained in Example No. 1.

Example N o. 3

The procedure followed in this example is the same as that given in the above two examples except 800 ams of sugar is used instead of 500 grams. plastic material is produced which has qualities between the materials of Examples No. 1 and No. 2 and which can be used like those materials. It is to be noted that plastic materials produced in accordance with my invention are substantially waterproof.

- Example No. 4

To the unset plastic material of Exam le No. 3, 10 grams of sodium sulfite (Na s are added insmallamounts. Following the addition of sodium sulfite, the same procedure is followed as given in Example No. 2. The plastic material thus produced can be used as a very efiicient cementitious substance or hinder or can be used for any other purpose to which a plastic material is suitable.

Ewample N 0. 5

In this instance, 400 cubic centimeters are mixed very thoroughly in about 1000 cubic centimetersof 40% formaldehyde solution.

- This solution is heated to about 40 C. for

approximately ten minutes when the material is ready for use as a binder. If this heated material is allowed to stand in the open air it sets or hardens by itself. Thesettin or hardening can be speeded or' facilitate by the ap lication of heat or of heat and pressure. y this procedure a plastic material is obtained which can be used in the same way as the materials from the examples hereinabove mentioned.

Example No. 6

The plastic material obtained in Example No. 5 may be used for the production of a quick-setting binder by the addition to the unset plastic material of about 5 grams of sodium sulfite (Na SO in small amounts at any one time. When the sodium 'sulfite has all been added the temperature of the solution is raised to about 60 C. and is maintained at that temperature for about 10 minutes. After this time has elapsed a lastic material is obtained which is very e active as a binder for fibrous substances and the like. Of course, the plastic material can. be used for other purposes well known to those skilled in the art.

Although I have specified certain proportions for the ingredients of my novel plastic compound, it is to be observed that variations in the proportions can be employed. For instance, the amount of sugar-containing material can be increased up to an amount where no more of the material will dissolve in the formaldehyde solution. Then again the amount of sodium sulfite can: be varied according to the desired setting or hardening period andthe degree of hardness required in the finished product, e. g. compressed wood masses. These variations as well as the substitution of equivalent ingredients or the use of similar functioning temperatures are considered to be within the spirit of my invention and the purview of my invention.

I claim:

1. A composition of matter comprising a sugar-contaming substance and, formaldehyde capable of hardening into a water insoluble mass.

2. A composition of matter comprising a sugar-containin substance, formaldehyde and sodium sul te capable of hardening into a water insoluble mass.

3. A compositionof matter comprising a sugar-containing substance, formaldehyde, sodium sulfite and a filler capable of hardening into a water insoluble mass.

4. A composition of matter comprising a sugar-containing substance, formaldehyde, so ium sulfite, and a fibrous material.

5. A resin-like plastic composition of matter comprising a product resulting from the reaction of sugar and an aqueous solution of formaldeh de, said composition bein capable of har ening into a water insolub e mass.

6. A resin-like plastic composition of matter comprising a product resulting from the reaction of sugar and an aqueous solution of formaldehyde and sodium sulfite, said composition bein capable of hardening into a water insolub e mass.

7. A resin-like plastic composition of matter comprising a product resulting from the reaction of a mass of sugar-containing material with approximately twice its mass of formaldehydesolution at a tem erature of about 40 0., said composition ing capable of hardening into a water insoluble mass.

8. A resin-like plastic composition of matter comprising a substance produced by reactin approximately one part of a sugarcontaining material with approximately two parts of a 40% formaldehydesolution and maintaining saidingredients at a temperature of about 40 C. for a proximatel ten minutes, said composition ing capab e of hardening into a water insoluble mass.

9. A resin-like plastic composition of mat ter comprising a substance produced by reacting approximately one part of a sugarcontaining material with approximately two parts of a 40% formaldehyde solution and maintaining said ingredients at a temperature of about 40 C. for approximately ten minutes and then adding sodium sulfite to said reaction product, said composition bea in capable of hardening into a water insolub e mass.

10. A resin-like plastic composition of matter comprising a substance produced by reacting approximately one part of a sugarcontainmg material with approximately two parts of a 40% formaldehyde solution and maintaining said ingredients at a temperature of about 40 C. for a roximatel ten minutes and then slowly 8. (Eng a sm amount of sodium sulfite to said reaction product and thereafter increasing the temperature to about C. for about ten minutes, said composition bein capable of hardening into a water insolub e mass.

11. A composition of matter comprising a product resultingfrom the reaction of a sugar-containingsubstance and .an ueous formaldehyde solution under the of heat, and a fibrous material distributed throughout said reaction roduct, said composition bein capable of water insolub e mass.

12. A board-like product from the subjection of a mixture of a reaction product of sugar and formaldehyde, and a fibrous material to heat and pressure whereby the reaction product of sugar and formaldehyde is hardened into a. water insoluble mass.

13. A board-like productresulting from the subjection of a mixture of a reaction product of sugar and formaldehyde, sodium sulfite, and a fibrous material to heatfland pressure whereb thereaction product of sugar and formaldehyde is hardened into a water insgloubl; mas. 0d

14; ar -like r uctcom a mass of fibrous material comp er and bonded by a water inso uble mass containing an insoluble reaction product of su ar and formaldehyde.

witness whereof I my hand.

assure hardening into a v have hereuntoset 

